Hospital reading-stand.



1. TIRPAK.

HOSPITAL READING STAND. APPLlCATION FILED JAN.9. I918.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

fimfmllll Winn-W1 JOHN TIRPAK, 0F SOMERFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOSPITAL READING-STAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

Application filed January 9, 1918. Serial No. 211,018.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN TIRPAK, a. citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Somerfield, in the county of Somerset and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHospital Reading-Stands, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inhospital reading stands.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a reading standadapted as an attachment for beds and especially serviceable inhospitals, the arrangement being such that reading matter may be readilypositioned for viewing by the occupant of the bed and the device sopositioned as not to interfere in any manner with the movements of theoccupant.

A further object of the device is the provision of a reading standadjustably mounted upon a bed for use by the occupant thereof in viewingdesirable objects positioned thereon, the device being readily shiftedout ofthe way by the occupant when not desired for use and also readilyreadjusted when desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a mounting standor rack that may be readily attached to any form of bedsteads, thedevice being easy and inexpensive to manufacture, light in weight andpleasing in appearance.

In the drawing forming a part of this application and in which likedesignating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout theseveral views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the head portion of a bed providedwith the present device illustrated in its operative position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device mounted upon the headboard ofthe bed, the said board being shown in vertical section and the deviceillustrated by dotted lines partially elevated to an inoperativeposition.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through a portion of the head ofthe bed illustrating a portion of the device in top plan view.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view of one cornerportion of'the device, and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of a similar corner portion thereofshowing the adjustpivoted by means of ing memberjmounted upon the railof a metal bed.

My device is adapted for employment as a reading stand with any form ofbed and is herein illustrated in connection with a bed 10 having sides11 and a head member 12, my improved stand 13 being adjustably mountedupon a panel 14 of the head 12 by means of a plurality of brackets 15.

The stand 13 comprises a board or plate 16 with a bottom ledge or.flange 17 thereon adapted for holding reading matter or pictures, aretaining marginal rib 18 being provided for the said flange and a frameor extension 19 being arranged upon the top of the plate 16 forassisting in supporting the articles carried by the stand.

Side arms 20 perpendicularly project from the opposite-ends of theflange 17 and are arranged with forks 21 at their free ends bolts 22 tothe brackets 15 carried by the panel 14 as heretofore noted. 1

Each bracket 15 consists of a strip 23 having screws 21 extendingtherethrough into the panel 14 while a hook-shaped rack 25 centrallyprojecting from the strip 23 has the pivot bolt 22 mounted adjacent thebase thereof while the main portion of the rack which is provided withthe teeth 26 is arranged within the fork 2 of the adjacent arm 20.

A spring pressed catch 27 is pivoted to the lower side of each arm 20adapted. for normally engaging the rack teeth 26, thereby maintainingthe holding member 16 at the desired vertical adjustment relatively ofthe pillow 28 arranged upon the bed 10 adapted for the accommodation ofthe occupant thereof.

When a person is lying upon the bed 10 reclining upon the pillow 28, theboard 16 may be arranged directly in front of the occupant as bestillustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing so that any articles upon the rack13 will be readilyviewable and accessible by such occupant. The brackets15 are arranged adjacent the opposite sides of the head 12 of the bed sothat the device does not interfere with the movements of the occupantthereof it being noted that the brackets are also arranged adjacent thetop of the head board 12. The occupant may readily push upwardlv on therack 13 positioning the latter as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

retaining the rack 13 in its desired adjusted position with the armseitherhorizontally arranged or upwardly or downwardly inclined as founddesirable. When the rack 13 is elevated, the free end portions 29 of thecatches 27 may be pressed for releasing the catches when desired andpermittingthe rack 13 to be moved downwardly in close proximity to thebed 10 while the rack 13 may be positioned upon the bed if desired whenthe catches 27 have passed the lowermost teeth 26, as the bracket hookspresent no obstruction for preventing the arms 20 from engaging the head12 of the bed.

The vdevice may be attached to the head member of a metal bedstead byemploying brackets 15 of the form illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawingand in which a shank or bolt is carried by the said bracket forprojecting horizontally through the top tubular rail 31 of the bedsteadand retained thereon by means of a set nut 32. The remaining portions ofthe bracket are the same as the heretofore described and consisting ofthe hooked rack 25 for mounting the fork 21 of the adjacent arm 20thereon by means of the bolt 22 and employing the spring pressed catch27 for maintaining the arm in desired adjustment by engaging the teeth26 of the said rack. A serviceable adjustable reading stand or rack isarranged for the comfort and accommodation of patients reandperpendicularly clining upon a bed and the same is readily positionedentirely out of the'way when desired, it being seen that when the catch27 I ber of a bed, a pair of spaced horizontallyalined verticallydisposed hooks rigidly secured to said head member adjacent the ups percorners thereof to pro a direction toward the bed and having teeth upontheir forward edges, forks spanning said hooks and pivoted to the baseportions thereof adjacent said head member for vertical swingingmovement, a pair of straight parallel arms rigidly carried by said forksand adapted to assume a downwardly inclined operative position, springcatches upon said arms arrangedto ratchetingly engage'the teeth of saidhooks, a plate having a bottom flange rigidly carried by and extendingbetween the forward .free ends of said arms, a longitudinal marginalretaining rib upon the upper face of said plate flange, and a rigidsupporting frame upon the top edge of said plate substantially as andfor the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN TIRPAK.

ect therefrom in foot member of said

